n the bush grew darker and drearier; and the plains more
like ghastly oceans; and here and there the "dominant note of Australian
scenery" was accentuated, as it were, by naked, white, ring-barked trees
standing in the water and haunting the ghostly surroundings.

We spent that night in a passenger compartment of a van which had been
originally attached to old No. 1 engine. There was only one damp cushion
in the whole concern. We lent that to a lady who travelled for a few
hours in the other half of the next compartment. The seats were about
nine inches wide and sloped in at a sharp angle to the bare matchboard
wall, with a bead on the outer edge; and as the cracks had become well
caulked with the grease and dirt of generations, they held several
gallons of water each. We scuttled one, rolled ourself in a rug, and
tried to sleep; but all night long overcoated and comfortered bushmen
would get in, let down all the windows, and then get out again at the
next station. Then we would wake up frozen and shut the windows.

We dozed off again, and woke at daylight, and recognized the ridgy
gum-country between Dubbo and Orange. It didn't look any drearier than
the country further west--because it couldn't. There is scarcely a part
of the country out west which looks less inviting or more horrible than
any other part.

The weather cleared, and we had sunlight for Orange, Bathurst, the Blue
Mountains, and Sydney. They deserve it; also as much rain as they need.

"RATS"

"Why, there's two of them, and they're having a fight! Come on."'

It seemed a strange place for a fight--that hot, lonely, cotton-bush
plain. And yet not more than half a mile ahead there were apparently two
men struggling together on the track.

The three travellers postponed their smoke-ho and hurried on. They were
shearers--a little man and a big man, known respectively as "Sunlight"
and "Macquarie," and a tall, thin, young jackeroo whom they called
"Milky."

"I wonder where the other man sprang from? I didn't see him before,"
said Sunlight.

"He muster bin layin' down in the bushes," said Macquarie. "They're
goin' at it proper, too. Come on! Hurry up and see the fun!"

They hurried on.

"It's a funny-lookin' feller, the other feller," panted Milky. "He don't
seem to have no head. Look! he's down--they're both down! They must ha'
clinched on the ground. No! they're up an' at it again.... Why, good
Lord! I think the other's a woman!"

"